IBADAN, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA) – “TrumpIsDead” trends on Twitter as users parody the new “fact-free” version of the website being pushed by new owner Elon Musk.
The joking tag proves how easily fake news can now spread.
However, the former President of the United States, Donald Trump is not dead, although trends suggest otherwise. The hashtag “#TrumpIsDead” started trending on Twitter on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. Despite the flood of tweets, the rumors are baseless.
In a co-ordinated attempt to test Elon Musk’s stance on disinformation on the platform following his takeover, trending topics in the US and beyond were for hours topped with news of Mr Trump’s apparent demise.
When something trends on Twitter, especially if it ends up being false or misleading, much of the discussion was driven by people wondering what on Earth was going on.
But it began as an effort to essentially stick it to new owner Musk, who has made content moderation – and his apparent desire to loosen it – a key part of the conversation surrounding his takeover.
“#TrumpIsDead is the best retaliation to Musk saying disinformation is free speech,” said Sue.
Another tweep, Randy wrote: “After Trump died, he was reported to say “No one died better than me, SAD!. I died the Best Death of all time, I died in a Bigly and Amazing way, Sleepy Joe Biden would never be able to die such a great death”. His corpse is expected to run for re-election in 2024. #trumpisdead”
“They came to me with tears in their eyes and said – Sir, this was the best death we have ever seen. Many people are saying there wont be a better death for at least 700 years. The democrats wont let you know how great my death was, SAD!”
@nathanbernard tweeted: “finally some good news #TrumpIsDead”
@imagidadnation tweeted: “#TrumpIsDead I can’t believe they just put his ashes in a bowl like that after cremating him.”
@sanders_cindy also said: “I heard he died while eating top secret papers, they got stuck in his colon! He apparently has not been able to shit for over a month, full of shit killed him.#TrumpIsDead”
@popsydisagrees who doesn’t find it funny said: “The whole #TrumpIsDead really is not funny. I got so excited thinking it was true.”
Another tweep identified as Jacob wrote: “What a relief that #TrumpIsDead. I mean, he might be alive, but since we’re apparently going a new direction on fact-checking in Chief Twit’s new world, I guess we’ll never know.
@Legittourist tweeted: “#TrumpIsDead is the best retaliation to Musk saying disinformation is free speech. I’m totally into it.”
At its peak, tens of thousands of tweets drove the hashtag to the top of the trending charts.
Verified accounts got in on the joke, with one from comedian Tim Heidecker racking up close to 10,000 retweets, while others mocked up screenshots of news sites including CNN.
In the US, #TrumpIsDead even overtook the evening’s World Series baseball action.
